The evidence is piling up now: Obamacare really does seem to be helping the uninsured. Survey after survey is showing that the number of uninsured people has been going down since the start of enrollment last fall. the trend is unmistakable: Millions of people who didn’t have health insurance before the Affordable Care Act have gained it since last fall. The law is not just covering people who already had health coverage, but adding new people to the ranks of the insured — which was the point of the law all along. even health care analysts who think the law is a bad idea acknowledge that the evidence suggests the uninsured are being helped. Given the predictions of doom that accompanied the law’s passage and launch, that’s a sweet bit of vindication for the president and ACA supporters. “It will be better when we’ve got a whole year behind us, so we can tell how much [in the surveys] was noise and how much was reality,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin of the conservative American Action Forum, a frequent critic of the law. “Having said that, it sure looks like there are more people covered, and that’s a good thing.”

A survey by the Commonwealth Fund found that 9.5 million fewer adults are uninsured now than at the beginning of the Obamacare enrollment season. The Urban Institute’s Health Reform Monitoring Survey found a similar drop, with 8 million adults gaining coverage. And Gallup-Healthways survey reported that the uninsured rate has fallen to 13.4 percent of adults, the lowest level since it began tracking health coverage in 2008. the Commonwealth Fund survey also suggested that most of the people who have signed up for the Affordable Care Act are happy with their coverage — and aren’t just disgruntled people who were already insured and liked their own coverage better. According to the survey, 58 percent of the Obamacare customers said they were better off under their new health coverage, and only 9 percent said they were worse off than they were before. Even among people who previously had health insurance — the ones who might resent having to switch — 52 percent liked the new coverage, while 16 percent said they were worse off.

You are never morally first – it is my life long goal to prove that cheats never prosper – but so far you seem to be doing OK – I’ll get some ideas from the grandbabe – she’s very good at “no” and “mine” at the minute.

‘Freewheeling, with conversation touching on art, architecture and literature, the gatherings are a world away from the stilted meals Mr. Obama had last year with Senate Republican leaders at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington.

As Mr. Obama once said about the Senate Republican leader from Kentucky: “Some folks still don’t think I spend enough time with Congress. ‘Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?’ they ask. Really? Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?”

Valerie Jarrett, the White House senior adviser, who has been asked by the president to organize some of the dinners, was more diplomatic. The president, she told reporters recently, “could talk to the same people all day long, every day, and so he has to make a deliberate effort to expand that.” ‘

Nice to see POTUS making opportunities to feed his mind outside of the Washington bubble.

Far from the aloof image DC wants to paint of our President, he is a social animal. But he doesn’t suffer fools and it’s no wonder that he prefers the company of thinkers, inventors, writers, artists, actors and sports enthusiasts. The menu that Linda Douglass threw together on short notice sounds simple and fabulous. I bet he’s a truly fabulous guest!

Ditto here, Arapaho, thanks for sharing. Like Dudette said, I just love to see that he’s able to exercise that great Jeffersonian-like curiosity of his- so important to being an integral leader (h/t Jim Stuart). One of things I hated – yes, hated- about GW Bush was his complete lack of curiosity about ANYTHING. Now, of course, his post-presidency lays bare his small and stilted mind. As for PBO, I’ll be devastated when he leaves the White House, but seeing what he’ll be able to accomplish in his post-WH years will be pretty sweet consolation.

Volkswagen will expand its Chattanooga plant to build a new midsize SUV, adding 2,000 jobs, and will establish a new research and development center there, bringing an additional 200 jobs, the German automaker said Monday.

In a joint announcement from Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg and the plant in Chattanooga, the world’s No. 3 automaker said it would invest $900 million to introduce the new SUV, including a $600 million investment in Tennessee, and begin producing the vehicle at the end of 2016.

Also, in what could be a signal that Volkswagen is about to accept the United Auto Workers union into the Chattanooga plant to set up a German-style works council, the automaker said its global works council chairman, Bernd Osterloh, has been appointed to the board of directors of Volkswagen Group of America.

I shared something last week about this. Article somewhat “buried” in business section of Knoxville paper…….saying that Corker and Haslam had been in “talks” with VW about the worker’s council or something along those lines…….that they had ‘agreed’ to support some kind of arrangement that would give the workers a seat at the table/a voice. I believe, as I said last week, that VW forced them to go along with the council or something like it, regardless of what it is called or the Chattanooga plant wouldn’t get the contract. could be wrong but don’t think so.

I remember reading what you posted, which is pretty much all I’ve read on the topic. Your take is no doubt 100% correct. If more companies like VW would force the local yokels into treating all workers right, that could slightly turn the tide. I won’t hold my breath, but I always have HOPE.

Yes. Thinks I’m “sincere” about his good-looking family and how they (but not any new immigrant children, oh no perish the thought) are able to prosper in America.

Also identifies himself as a farmer. Wonder how many immigrant workers he hires under the table?

Still laughin’. Others are taking him on, so I’m “sincerely” sitting back and watching for a bit. He’s more unimportant than I’m making him, of course, but it’s my new “sport” to let ’em know we see them.

Others are taking him on, so I’ve got to see his little farm boy responses first! Let him get it all out of his system, then I’ll mail him a mirror and he can see himself exposed for the first time. Although haters never own up, so there’s that.

There is something pathetic in Boehner’s picture with his eyes in constant tears. He must be afraid of the teabaggers day in day out. I like to be reminded of the spineless man that he is. The photo does just that. Thank you.

Realize: they are kicking women to the curb, while extolling Boehner’s tears. PBO is weak but Boehner is ‘nice’ while weeping, and at the same time kicking women to the curb who need his Congress to be part of the 21st century.

What I wouldn’t give for Dem’s to seize this image and use it against him.

Must be new management……..have been wondering how long they were gonna let this fool spew his B.S. w/o being called on it! Enter Steve Liesman:

“It’s impossible for you to have been more wrong, Rick. Your call for inflation, the destruction of the dollar, the failure of the US economy to rebound. Rick, it’s impossible for you to have been more wrong. Every single bit of advice you gave would have lost people money, Rick. Lost people money, Rick. Every single bit of advice. There is no piece of advice that you’ve given that’s worked, Rick. There is no piece of advice that you’ve given that’s worked, Rick. Not a single one. Not a single one, Rick. The higher interest rates never came, the inability of the U.S. to sell bonds never happened, the dollar never crashed, Rick. There isn’t a single one that’s worked for you.”

These people talked the economy down. Then they called it the Obama Stock Market. Then when they can be proven wrong, they accused BLS of cooking the books in 2012 and once again in the Q1 this year when it was analyzed that the bad weather had affected the Job numbers. They were dismissive, snarled and accused the Administration of failing. The POTUS was asked questions about Fat Cats and the same CNBC journo, John H…..used Savvy in his questions to the POTUS. Pres Obama used the same verbiages to answer the questions posed and CNBC and Wall Street went bat poop.

[…..] The Iroquois Nationals team was first admitted to the federation that runs the championship tournament in 1990, and remains the only First Nations/Native American team that is recognized to compete in an international tournament. The team has consistently placed in the top five each year it participates.

The Haudenosaunee is a confederacy of six nations: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora Nations are spread over what most people call Canada and the United States today. As a confederacy of sovereign tribal nations, the Haudenosaunee have their own passports. But when the team attempted to compete in Manchester in the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship, England declined the team entry because it refused to recognize the Haudenosaunee passport. The Iroquois Nationals fought the decision and are now back in this year’s tournament, which is being held in Denver, Colo. […..]

Here is more proof that Meet the Press’ David Gregory is but a Republican shill

If you blinked, then you missed it. Rick Santorum was on the panel on Meet the Press. The panel was discussing the Republican suit against the president.

David Gregory said that if a Republican president had delayed parts of the implementation as President Obama did, Democrats would have cried foul. Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan, would have none of it. Granholm pointed out that during the Medicaid Part D implementation former President George W Bush delayed implementation of certain pieces and nobody said anything about it. She called the suit hogwash, “the legal equivalent of birtherism.”

Unasked, out of context, and out of the blue Gregory blurted out “the Obama economy.” It is obvious where his thoughts were. You could see a slight controlled surprise on Granholm’s face.

Easy to imagine we do not see or hear a fraction of what they are really doing. Japa, I have had this thought as well, SOS Kerry working at least as hard as, if not harder than, PBO. How can it be possible. They are superhuman beings.

‘I’d be lying if I said that I don’t have an unnatural concern about the super volcano that lies under Yellowstone erupting for the first time in 640,000 years.

” Tourists at Yellowstone National Park are being barred from areas of the park because the massive underground supervolcano beneath it is melting the asphalt roads.

“It basically turned the asphalt into soup. It turned the gravel road into oatmeal,” Yellowstone spokesman Dan Hottle said. In particular, Hottle said that the road between the park’s most popular attraction, Old Faithful, and Madison Junction has been dangerously compromised.

Park officials also asked tourists not to hike into the affected areas, as the danger of stepping through what appears to be solid soil into boiling-hot water was “high.”

“There are plenty of other great places to see thermal features in the park…..”

A rare bit of gun sanity——Mo. gov. vetoes “brilliant” legislation which would have allowed teachers to have guns in schools. It always helps to have a Dem in charge, in case you haven’t noticed. (which I’m sure you have—–the other party has gone goofy nutville)

Hi Layla, you usually sign in with an email address that starts with ‘rrb9’ – the email for the comments that were automatically put in moderation began with ‘qrrb9’, so you were ‘detected’ as a new user.

Hi Chips,
Have no idea why WP does the weird things that it does, but I just thought I’d posted a comment about ‘Soccer in Seattle’ at the end of the thread and it ends up under the tweet honoring Malala!!! 🙂

Sorry this is such short notice, but I just received this and it’s important. Please make calls if you can. Thanks.

Action needed ASAP
The House Interior subcommittee is planning to cut funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in the coming year.

Last Wednesday, the House Interior subcommittee passed its FY 2015 appropriations bill, which provides only $138 million for the NEH, $8 million less than the $146 million received in FY 2014. The full Appropriations Committee will meet on Tuesday, July 15, to consider this bill.

Please contact your U.S. Representative and Senators today and urge them to contact their colleagues in support of continued NEH funding.

Contact your U.S. Representative and Senators Now

Note: Every state’s humanities council receives critical components of its funding from NEH. A decrease in federal funding will mean less funding available for the programs and grants in your communities.

WASHINGTON – In the afternoon of July 21, 2014, President Barack Obama will award Ryan M. Pitts, a former active duty Army Staff Sergeant, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. Staff Sergeant Pitts will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as a Forward Observer with 2nd Platoon, Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, during combat operations at Vehicle Patrol Base Kahler, in the vicinity of Wanat Village in Kunar Province, Afghanistan on July 13, 2008.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa —the so-called BRICS countries — are seeking “alternatives to the existing world order,” said Harold Trinkunas, director of the Latin America Initiative at the Brookings Institution.

I love Obamacare! and even selfish people should love it too. Here’s why: If you have insurance that you think is pretty good, Obamacare made it better in the following ways.:

(1) Young people can be carried on a parent’s policy up to age 26, even if they are married. My daughter graduated college in 2010, which meant she was kicked off of my employer sponsored coverage in June 2010, when she graduated. Fortunately, she was covered under my husband’s coverage through the end of December, BUT ACA actually kicked in in September 2010. Not bad timing for my family. What was the statistic? over 3 Million young people were covered immediately as of 09/10?

(2) No maximums. My husband’s colleague had a stroke at work and became severely disabled. He soon maxed out, and concerned friends and colleagues chipped in and held fundraisers. Fortunately, maxing out one’s coverage is no longer a possibility due to Obamacare. zHe gets the care he needs and his family won’t go bankrupt or be forced to let him die due to lack of money.

(3) No pre-existing conditions clauses. When I started my job, I was 5 months pregnant. My employer based coverage wouldn’t cover a pre-existing condition for 6 months. By then I would have already had my baby. Now no one has to wait for coverage to kick in or be completely denied for a preexisting condition. People who this never happened to have no idea how pernicious this practice was, many people were denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions for routine run of the mill conditions. Many who had been faithfully paying their premiums month after month saw their policies cancelled because they hadn’t disclosed minor pre-existing conditions, such as acne, or for errors in their medical records, such as diagnoses that turned out to be incorrect.

(4) The 80/20 rule: Insurers must spend 80% of premiums collected on providing care, if they don’t meet that threshold, they must refund the difference. This has been significant in slowing the growth of premiums, and even lowering premiums in some cases.

(5) It is easier to comparison shop for policies, because the different levels of coverage all offer the same benefits.
So, those are the reasons purely selfish people should love Obamacare.

But for the less selfish, there’s this: People who had no access to health care due to health or affordability or both, now do. Over 9 million and counting uninsured are now covered. They get affordable health care and this lowers costs as well as risks, for the rest of us.

For all these reasons and more, everyone, no matter their political leanings, should love Obamacare, and they should love President Obama too – why? Because OBAMACARES about US.

Must Miss Tonight:
Steve Kornacki subbing for Rachel and his guest is Henry Cuellar the DINO lying POS. MSNBC’s new fave. Cuellar is a font of ignorance about the actual tragedy on our southern border.

Netanyahu finally speaks his mind
At his Friday press conference, the prime minister ruled out full Palestinian sovereignty, derided the US approach to Israeli security, and set out his Middle East overview with unprecedented candor.

Currently looks like Illinois might trade in Dem gov. for horrible Repub Bruce—–lower minimum wage, never met a tax loophole he didn’t love, Romney clone—-Rauner, altho don’t know how much to trust this poll. Saw on news tonight Rauner was courting a big group of Chgo’s black leaders, making (false) promises about initiating businesses in their neighborhoods.